Ahead of the new season, Tom Russell, 21, who has played for teams across the North West including Irlam was invited to the Eddie Davies Academy, to spend a day training with Joel Dixon and our first team goalkeeper coach Andy Fairman.
Tom was invited down to the training ground to experience a professional goalkeeping coaching session and get tips on how to save energy on and off the pitch. The session included how to control head positioning and footwork, two touch and ear flicks, how to save energy when moving from one side of the goal to another and how to preserve mental energy in a tough game, as well as learning about simple changes he could make to control energy off the pitch such as getting a smart meter installed in his home.
He said: “The session was all about reactions, quick shot stopping, dealing with volleys and it was just a really good experience – it was all about saving energy in goal.
“It’s massively important to be able to save energy on the pitch as a keeper.
“If you think, a game’s 90 minutes and in that last minute, you might need to make that save, you need to have that energy to make that save.”
And Dixon, also emphasised just how important saving energy on and off the pitch can be.
“As a goalkeeper, you have to conserve energy by making small movements from side to side rather than big ones,” explained Dixon, speaking to encourage Bolton fans to get a smart meter installed.
“We’ve had Tom with us and we’ve put him through some drills, making sure he knows how you conserve your energy over short bursts.
“If you read the game, you can use your energy efficiently, just like how you can save energy at home with a smart meter.
“I’d encourage all Bolton fans to get one installed at home so they can control their energy use, which could help save money at home”.
The in-home display that comes with smart meter shows in near-real time the amount of energy you use in pounds and pence give better control over energy usage, so users can see where they can be more efficient, budget more easily and be more in control of their bills.